Change of Engagement
by mahlia
Summary: It's interesting how one archery lesson can change the way two people look at each other and how quickly the temperature rises when they're together. With two people as stubborn as Roy and Artemis, who will break first?


This is my response to Marshy's SongFic challenge over at the YJ Challenge Forum. The song is called "Shark in the Water" by V.V. Brown. The ideas I'd had previously didn't pan out and I believe this is the fourth rewrite. Needless to say I'm relieved it's finished. But, as always, it was fun writing Roy. I loves me some Roy. The Roy/Arty pairing reminds me a lot of _Mr. and Mrs. Smith, _how they would beat the ever-loving crap out of each other and constantly try to out-snark the other. And I referenced **A Handy Distraction** here, but it's not necessary to read in order to follow this. Although, selfishly, I'd recommend it. ;)

I don't own Young Justice or DC Comics and the only thing I hope to get from this is a review telling me what worked and what didn't. Rated K+

**One last A/N**: _Change of Engagement_ is a fencing term, in case you were curious. I felt the Wikipedia definition fit nicely here, considering the way these two dance around each other.

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><p>It all began with the archery lesson from Roy.<p>

She just _had_ to notice how amazing his hands were and how warm it got when he was standing so close. The way he had touched her hands sent shivers up her spine just _thinking _about it.

Naturally she wanted to spend more time around him, just to get her fix every now and again. To feel the rush of endorphins as he walked past her or the way her heart sped up when they were competing, trying to see who could get their arrow closer to the bulls-eye. After the first lesson he told her he would have to stop back and drop off the pair of gloves he had ordered for her. And sure enough, a week later he showed up with a small package in his hand.

Roy wandered around the halls of Mount Justice for a few minutes, noticing how quiet it was. Glancing at the clock on the wall near the kitchen he noticed it was only 3:30.

_Still in school. Damn, I forgot about that._ He was turning to leave when he heard it. It was a grunt followed by dull 'thud'. Another grunt. Several more 'thuds'.

Retracing his steps down the hall, he followed the sound. It wasn't the sound of someone in distress. As he grew closer, the sound was easily identified as someone working out. He hadn't been able to hear the music from the kitchen but the thumping bass coming from the gym was unmistakable now. He stopped right outside the door and leaned against the doorway. Artemis was in the center of the room working with a punching bag. Her hands were covered in black cotton wrap, protecting her hands and knuckles from the impact of the bag. Her blond ponytail was tousled from her constant movement and a few of the shorter strands of hair clung to her neck and face.

She spun quickly and kicked the bag with the heel of her right foot, sending it swaying back and forth. Darting in front of it as it swung back toward her, she landed a solid punch with her left hand. With another grunt, she grabbed the bag with both hands and drove her knee up into it.

She jumped slightly as Roy walked in, clapping his hands.

"Nice work, _replacement_. Who taught you those moves?"

She balked at the nickname and turned back to the bag, ignoring him.

"Oh, come on. You know I was kidding. I brought your gloves." He held up the packge and shook it.

Artemis stopped mid-kick and turned around, the look on her face slightly less annoyed than it had been moments earlier.

"Thanks, just put them over by the stereo. I'm heading over to the archery range after I'm finished here. I need to work on a few things first." She reached back to resume punching the bag but Roy stepped behind her and grabbed her elbow. She fought the blush that was trying to force its way across her cheeks at the touch of his hand on the underside of her arm.

"Need a sparring partner? Working with the bag gets boring after a while," he said, turning her around. He held her gaze, trying to intimidate her.

She blew a strand of hair from her face and returned his gaze with a sardonic smile, refusing to back down. She narrowed her eyes.

"Sure you can keep up, _Speedy?" _

"I think I'll do just fine, replacement," he replied, his voice low. He set the box on the table next to the stereo and took off his jacket and shoes. Artemis joined him, removing her shoes and taking off her track jacket. She walked back to the center of the mat and turned, waiting for him.

He approached slowly and stopped a few feet away. Her knees were slightly bent, hands up in front of her, curled into loose fists. She was dressed all in black and the tank top and matching cotton pants she was wearing were so fitted they were almost distracting.

Roy wrestled his gaze upward, noticing that she had caught him staring.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked, bringing his hands up. She beckoned him with her right hand, her left hand now resting on her hip.

He walked a few steps closer then lunged at her, smoothly wrapping his arms around her waist. They landed on the mat and she brought her elbow down on his shoulder blades, eliciting a grunt from him. His grip loosened momentarily and she kneed him in the chest, knocking him back. She rolled into a backward somersault and remained in a crouch.

Roy didn't say a word as he stood and locked eyes with her. He removed his baggy long-sleeved shirt, revealing a fitted white shirt and a bit of his abdomen along with it.

"Oh, we must be getting serious now," Artemis said sarcastically, tearing her eyes from his torso. "You're taking off your shirt." Roy shrugged a shoulder.

"A baggy shirt gives you something to grab onto, which, in turn, gives you an advantage." He approached her again. "And I'd rather not give you one."

They circled each other for a moment before Artemis faked a left hook, then dropped down in an attempt to sweep Roy's legs from under him. He saw through the bluff, however, and stepped back to avoid the sweep. He countered by grabbing her right wrist, pulling her toward him. For a split second he wondered why she wasn't resisting.

He realized why she wasn't resisting when she used their close proximity to headbutt him in the nose just hard enough for him to see stars. Roy stumbled back, still gripping her wrist. He blocked another kick from her, catching her leg under his arm. He swept her other leg and they both fell, Roy landing on top of her. She was pinned beneath him with their legs entangled so neither could kick the other. He had her wrists crossed and held to her chest, which heaved from the exertion.

"I have to admit that headbutt was a nice touch. Bit of a cheap shot, since we're only sparring, but still," he said, breathing heavily, their noses mere inches from each other. "And it doesn't look like you're in need of extra work with hand-to-hand, either."

Artemis didn't reply, but was avoiding his eye contact. Roy released her hands and rolled off her. She stood and reached a hand down.

"Never hurts to practice," she said. He grabbed her forearm and she hauled him up off the floor. "Now, where are those gloves? I want to try them out."

She turned to go grab her things and Roy smirked to himself.

_So we're going to play this game, are we? Alright, let's play._

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><p>Three days later Artemis was in Star City with Green Arrow out on patrol.<p>

"So, Roy told me you beat him up the other day," Ollie said, a smile threatening to betray his neutral expression. Artemis snorted.

"I didn't beat him up. I was working out and he stopped by to drop off my archery gloves. He offered to spar with me. It's his fault if he's hurt at all." She intentionally kept her gaze anywhere but on Ollie.

"Oh, he's not hurt. He just didn't understand why you think you needed extra work is all." He glanced at her. "Is there something I should be aware of?"

Artemis shook her head. "No, I just like to practice hard, that's all."

"Mmm. Okay. You'd tell me if you felt like you needed extra help or something, right? I could have Roy teach you a few things, if you like."

She looked at him this time, eyebrow arched. "Yeah, I would tell you if I needed something. Now can we find someone to beat up? This heart-to-heart stuff is a little heavy for my tastes." Ollie chuckled when she ignored his comment about Roy completely.

"Okay, okay. I get it," he replied, holding up his hands in surrender. "No more serious talk."

Something set off a car alarm a block away and he looked in that direction.

"Well, that's our cue," Ollie said. "Let's go."

She followed him down the fire escape, but couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. Glancing back over her shoulder she noticed movement across the street. Seeing the familiar outline of a bow strapped to Roy's back, she smiled.

Then she flipped him her middle finger.

She swore she heard him laugh.

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><p>Friday nights, unless there was something more important to do, were their nights to go out and have fun together as a team. Tonight they were at an amusement park, the six of them. Artemis and Robin were checking out the map of the park as the rest of their teammates found something to eat.<p>

"Want to go on a ride while we wait, Rob? Looks like they'll be a while, since the line is so long." Artemis pointed at the line and Robin nodded in agreement.

"Might as well. Any preferences?"

"What do you prefer, wooden or metal coasters?"

Robin grinned. "Wooden, of course. They're way more fun."

"Agreed. Let's check out the one we passed when we got here."

"Sure."

They made their way back to the entrance of the park and got in line for The Annihilator. Artemis was people-watching when she saw a familiar head of red hair bobbing through the crowd. Robin noticed as well and waved to get Roy's attention.

"Roy! Hey, Roy! We're over here!"

Roy noticed Robin waving his arms and nodded his head in acknowledgement, making his way to them. He chuckled softly when he noticed Artemis scowling at him. She was about to open her mouth and berate him, but he interrupted.

"Artemis, please. We both know that inside, you're actually happy to see me." He turned and started talking to Robin, noticing the faint blush on her cheeks as she turned away from the two of them in a huff.

_Who does he think he is, acting like such a cocky jerk? _she thought bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest. She heard Robin and Roy laugh and she sighed in resignation.

_Maybe because he's right and you __**know**__ it, _she chastised herself. She fought a grin a moment later. _Just because you might be happy he's here doesn't mean it has to show.._ She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as the plan formulated in her head.

"Hey, Artemis. Who are you going to sit with, me or Roy?" Robin asked, tapping her shoulder. She turned slowly, smoothing her grin into a mask of indifference. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know. Roy's kind of a third wheel, here." She glanced up at Roy, then back at Robin. "I can sit with him." She pointed to the boy standing behind them. "Hey, you want to ride with me?" The boy looked at Roy and Robin and when neither of them said anything, he nodded. "Great! You can come up and stand with me."

Artemis didn't miss the shocked look on both Roy and Robin's faces as the nervous teen sidestepped them and waited next to her.

"What's your name?" She held out her hand.

"Jason." He shook her hand. "What's yours?"

"Artemis."

"Nice name, I like it."

The two of them made idle conversation as they waited, with Roy glaring a hole in the back of Jason's head. Robin noticed and laughed.

"Dude, calm down," he whispered. "He may be tall, strong and good-looking, but she's not into him. Her body language is all wrong," Robin explained. He gestured to her posture as if it were obvious to everyone just how out of place it was.

"Whatever," Roy muttered.

_Artemis? One. Roy? Zero_, Artemis thought, smiling to herself as she heard the two of them talking.

After the ride came to a stop, Jason thanked Artemis for sitting with him and went to join his friends, who getting out of the car three spots behind them. Roy patiently waited for her at the exit with Robin itching to continue walking.

"Should we go find everyone else?" Artemis asked, brushing past Roy to catch up with Robin.

"I'm going to, yeah. They're going to the arcade. Wally has a bet he can beat Kaldur in some of the pinball games. The kid's obsessed, I swear." Robin put his cell phone back in his pocket after answering another text from Wally.

"Oh, the arcade?" Artemis asked, disappointment tinging her voice. Robin noticed and stopped walking.

"You don't like the arcade?"

Artemis hesitated; she didn't hate the arcade, per se, but wasn't a fan of standing in front of a machine trying to earn tickets for crappy prizes, either.

"Well, we can go check it out, that's ok."

Roy joined the conversation, standing uncomfortably close to Artemis. Close enough she could smell the leather of his jacket and feel the heat the boy seemed to radiate.

"I prefer playing the carnival games if you wanted to do that instead," he suggested, looking down at her. She bit her lip to keep from blurting anything out, his gaze weakening her knees.

"Hey, that's a great idea! They games are right next to the arcade. We can meet up a little later to go on more rides." Robin took off running to the arcade, leaving the archers alone. "See you later!"

"Oh-kay then," Artemis muttered. She crammed her hands in the pockets of her jacket and turned toward the midway. Roy caught up in just a few strides, matching her pace.

"It's probably a good thing we didn't go to the arcade with Robin," he said, trying to make conversation. "Wally gets so competitive, it's ridiculous."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Artemis replied. Roy ignored the comment and reached into his pocket, drawing out a small clip full of dollar bills. He nodded toward a game.

"Want to try that one? Breaking plates with baseballs?" He stepped up to the counter, handing two dollars to the kid in charge of the game. He received three baseballs in return.

"You first."

He shrugged. "Sure."

He gripped one of the baseballs in his right hand and focused on one of the glass plates tilted up in the back of the tent. With a smirk, he wound up and whipped the ball, shattering the plate. His second throw broke the plate next to the first one, and his final throw broke the plate next to that.

"Impressive, actually," Artemis said. "You ever play baseball?"

Roy shook his head, studying the prizes hanging on the wall. "Nope. Used to play catch a lot with Ollie, though. That's about it." He chose an enormous panda as his prize and set it on the pavement next to him. It reached mid-thigh. "Think you can match that?" he challenged.

"Sure." She handed the kid her two dollars and took her three baseballs in return. She scanned the shelves, choosing three plates in the row third from the bottom. Her first throw broke a plate. Her second throw barely missed, causing the plate to wobble slightly. Her third throw broke the same plate into pieces.

"Two out of three, not bad," the kid said. "You get a medium prize from over here." Artemis looked at the selection of prizes, choosing a zebra with a purple mane and tail. Glancing at Roy's panda, she grinned.

"Bet I can beat you at the dart toss to break balloons."

"You're on, replacement."

"Prepare to lose badly, Speedy."

An hour later, after having spent forty-three dollars between them on games, they stood next to the only one they hadn't played yet.

Ring the Bell.

They watched as a man larger than Roy swung the hammer down as hard as he could, only getting the marker two-thirds of the way up the tower.

"Oh, sorry kid! Better luck next time!" the operator called out, smiling at the man's frustration. He looked at Roy, sizing him up.

"Think you can handle it, Red? Bring it on!" He beckoned to them both and Roy pulled out two dollars. He glanced sideways at Artemis, who arched her eyebrow.

"Well, go on. Show us all how big and strong you are."

Roy handed the operator his two dollars and removed his jacket, draping it over one of the barriers around the game.

"Ok, you know how it works. You get one swing to try and ring the bell. If you hit it, you get a prize to give to your lovely lady over there."

Roy's shoulders tensed slightly at the reference to Artemis being his 'lovely lady'.

"Oh, no. I'm not his lady. I'm just waiting to see him fail with this. I needed a good laugh tonight," she said, baiting Roy.

And despite knowing that's _exactly_ what she was doing, he couldn't help but accept her challenge. He centered himself in front of the base of the tower and raised the hammer, settling into his stance much like a golfer would. With a quiet growl he swung the hammer down, sending the marker straight up the tower. It hit the top, ringing the bell loud and clear. Roy lowered the hammer and glanced back at Artemis, intending to flash her a victorious smirk. He was met, however, with a smoldering gaze which nearly caused him to drop the hammer. She smiled slightly as she brushed past him, putting a palm against his chest to push him back. Her fingers brushed his as she took the hammer from him.

"My turn," she called over her shoulder. She handed the operator her money and took off her own jacket, tossing it to Roy.

"Oh, Red! You've got a challenger! Think she can do it?"

"At this point, it wouldn't surprise me," Roy muttered, watching Artemis grip the handle.

Raising it over her head, Roy watched as her back and bare shoulders didn't waver in the slightest under the weight of it. Without making a sound, she smoothly swung it down, hitting the base dead-center. He couldn't help but watch her as she bent over, instead of watching the marker travel up the tower. The sharp clang of the bell ringing shifted his focus and she turned around, a hand on her slender hip.

"I'll take the Phillies jersey, the Roy Halladay one," she said to the operator, without looking away from Roy, a demure smile on her face.

He shook his head slightly and smiled, not breaking eye contact with her. "I'll take a Mets jersey, then, the Jason Bay one." He held out her jacket and waited for her to turn come to him and turn around. "You just love trying to put me in my place, don't you?"

"'Trying' to put you in your place? Please. Based on your reaction, I'd say it worked." She slipped her arms in the sleeves and Roy let go. She straightened the collar. "Trying to resist the opportunity to out-do you is like a shark trying to resist blood in the water. Can't do it."

She picked up her prizes and started walking away. His eyes automatically followed the gentle sway of her hips. "And besides. You're just too easy to bait."

Roy put his jacket back on and shook his head. "Touché," he muttered. "Touché."

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><p>You'll probably never see a drabble from me; I have an insanely difficult time writing anything less than 1,000 words. Hopefully this isn't too wordy or lengthy for you. Thanks for reading!<p> 


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